The Happiness Thread [FenelonSpoke]

Introducing "The Happiness Thread", where people get to share things that make them happy or add enjoyment to their lives.

Anything that makes you smile or laugh or allows you to appreciate simple things in life are welcome. Consider this thread as a breather from contentious political threads. Your aid in keeping this a non political thread will be greatly appreciated, and I greatly thank CBD for getting it set up.

In the descriptive blurb to Dennis Prager's book on happiness, Prager asserts that we're actually obligated to be happy, because it makes us better people. Achieving that happiness won't be easy, though: to Prager, it requires a continuing process of counting your blessings and giving up any expectations that life is supposed to be wonderful. "Can we decide to be satisfied with what we have?" he asks. "A poor man who can make himself satisfied with his portion will be happier than a wealthy man who does not allow himself to be satisfied."

In this short video, Prager says that happiness is a moral issue:

Here are some other thoughts on happiness:

"Folks are usually about as happy as they make their minds up to be."

-- Abraham Lincoln

"It isn't what you have or who you are or where you are or what you are doing that makes you happy or unhappy. It is what you think about it."

-- Dale Carnegie, How to Win Friends and Influence People

FenelonSpoke mentioned that this is a non-political thread. It's also a non-grumpy thread. Going off topic is fine to tell a nice story with a sweet ending, or just something pleasant. But grousing and grumping and grouching and grumbling is off limits. [CBD]